CWs: Winter storms, hypothermia, mentioned frostbite, fire, smoke
A continuation of my round one story.
Whumpee settled into the soft couch, letting their head slump into the pillows Caretaker brought for them. They tried to ignore the feeling of simmering heat just below the surface of their skin. Hiding under the many blankets and dry clothes that were provided for them would only help for so long. Whumpee simply had to hope that they could hold on for medical help until the storm had time to pass.
Even then, it would be a while until they would find someone who could help. Hospitals would likely be overrun with people panicking about the sudden storm. Rescue crews would be sent out for anyone unaccounted for. Whumpee knew they were lucky to have only gotten out of their accident with a leg injury and a headache.
They focused their attention on their surroundings, eyeing the bare wooden walls of Caretaker’s cabin. Whumpee knew everyone who lived on the mountain. They didn’t know Caretaker. It was enough for them to be wary of a stranger, though not enough to give them reason to leave into the cold, snowy outdoors. Eyeing the few windows in the living room, Whumpee realized they couldn’t see anything but frost and snow outside.
Caretaker knelt by the fireplace and added more logs to the already-burning fire.
“The electricity’s not going to stay on forever. As long as it’s storming, my solar panels won’t be able to absorb more sunlight,” Caretaker explained.
Whumpee hummed in response, ignoring their own chattering teeth. They listened to the crackling of the fireplace and let their eyes slowly droop closed.
When they opened them again, it was to the sound of snapping fingers.
“Hey. Stay with me,” Caretaker said, eyes hardened to something serious. “You’re not allowed to pass out on me.”
“I’ll do my best,” Whumpee mumbled into their pillow. They even tried to give a thumbs-up. Judging by the frown written on Caretaker’s face, Whumpee was not successful.
“How about this? Tell me something about yourself. Just keep talking so I don’t have to pour water over you. Or hit you. Or any of the other painful options that would lend themselves to keeping you conscious.”
Whumpee mustered up a laugh. “Okay, okay. I, uh, I live on the mountain. Didn’t expect the storm to hit so early. My truck full-on tumbled down on the way back, with me inside.”
“Damn.” Caretaker’s eyes widened. “I’m surprised. You’re in one piece. Relatively, anyway.”
The cabin walls rattled and wind whistled outside. Whumpee’s eyes darted around nervously. They forced themself to focus, ignoring the way their vision blurred. “Is this place going to hold?”
Caretaker shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. This is my first storm since moving out here.”
“Y-you could have a little more optimism,” Whumpee chattered out. The wind howled, even louder than before, and Whumpee wasn’t sure if they were shivering from cold or fear.
“I’ll be optimistic when this storm—“
The far window shot open with a sharp burst of wind. Snow flew in and started landing on the wooden floor in thick flakes. Caretaker immediately shot to their feet and slammed the window shut. It banged loudly. Caretaker fought against the barrage of snow, trying to latch the window shut.
“L-let me help.” Whumpee stumbled off of the couch and into a standing position. The fire still burned hot and bright despite the cold air seeping into the cabin.
Caretaker sent Whumpee a sideways glance, though didn’t stop them from trying to help. Together, they managed to latch the window shut.
Whumpee collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. “You have crappy windows.”
“Thanks,” Caretaker responded sarcastically. “You really know how to make a person feel good.”
“It’s what I do best,” Whumpee said with a small smile.
Caretaker rolled their eyes, about to respond, when the other window in the room blew open. They rushed over, hands reaching for the latch. The window slammed shut and opened again before Caretaker managed to keep it closed. Then they cursed loudly. “The latch is broken. I can’t keep it shut without standing right here.”
“Okay. O-okay.” Whumpee forced themself to their feet, mind thrumming as they raced through all the options. A heavy fog stilled over their thoughts. It was only exacerbated by the biting air filling the cabin. “Okay. Okay, okay, okay.”
Caretaker cast a worried look at Whumpee. “Hey. I’m serious about you staying awa—“
Whumpee slumped over, their head hitting the ground with a loud thud. When Whumpee awoke, the cabin was filled with smoke. They groaned loudly. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Whumpee was seeing everything in double.
As the wind blew in stronger and stronger, windows flying open and letting snow in from all directions, smoke started to fill the cabin. The acrid smell filled Whumpee’s nostrils and inhabited every sense they had. Distantly, they could hear Caretaker calling their name.
“Whumpee! We have to get out! The fire’s spreading.”
Scanning the cabin with bleary eyes, Whumpee realized their surroundings were filled with more grey smoke than light wood walls. They coughed loudly, quickly bringing their shirt to cover their face.
Caretaker threw a coat in Whumpee’s direction. “Throw it on. Hurry! We have to get out of here!”
“We’re either going to suffocate in here or freeze out there. Pick your poison, Whumpee.” Caretaker punctuated their words with a cough and held out a hand to Whumpee. “Do you trust me?”
Whumpee licked their lips nervously. “Yes.”
They tugged on the coat as fast as they could. Whumpee reached for Caretaker’s hand and let themself be led toward the frigid outdoors. Tears stung their eyes as they tried to ignore the heavy smoke all around them.
“C’mon, we’re almost there. Just a few more steps!” Caretaker yelled. Whumpee’s leg twinged as they continued forward, past the threshold of the previously warm cabin. With every fiber of strength they had, Whumpee fought to keep moving.
They finally collapsed into the freezing snow outside of the door, watching smoke billow out the windows and other openings in the cabin. Since their time outside, the snow had built up into a powdery substance that was far too easy to collapse into.
The pair continued tracking through the snow, shivering along the way.
Eventually, Whumpee and Caretaker stopped and both let out heaving breaths, watching the warm air they expelled float through the air. The white snow was still blinding, though it seemed as though the snow was finally starting to slow its pace.
“Hey, hey. Whumpee, look!” Caretaker exclaimed, tugging on Whumpee’s coat.
Whumpee followed their gaze all the way to— “The treeline.”
Caretaker whooped. “C’mon, I know where we are now. Just a little while further and we can get out of this cold.”
“W-with better windows, I hope,” Whumpee chattered out, keeping their arms wrapped firmly around their torso.
“No promises, but they should be better than mine,” Caretaker said with a grin. “I think there’s even a TV.”
